iWorld
hoichoi enthralls Bengalis with digital premieres
MUMBAI: hoichoi, the popular OTT for Bengalis worldwide, is bringing multiple digital premieres of new Bengali blockbusters at a time when social distancing and work-from-home are the only choices amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The OTT platform has already seen an increase in traffic by 4x rate in the last one week; the traffic is surging 2 to 3 times on a daily basis, said release. A promising increase of the traffic on the platform is also a sign that people have welcomed a library og rich content that is easily accessible.,
hoichoi already has a big bouquet of content (a mix of classics, latest films and Originals, with a variety of genre to choose from), in addition to a plethora of new content that will be streaming every week. The platform is doing its bit to keep you engaged by initiating a #selfstay form of entertainment.
For the month of March itself, hoichoi is already streaming, "Rahasya Romancha Series 2" starring Rudranil Ghosh, Rajdeep Gupta, Saoli Chattopadhyay, Kharaj Mukherjee among others- is getting tremendous appreciation, a mega World Digital Premiere of Srijit Mukherji's spin-off to Baishey Srabon – "Dwitiyo Purush", interesting before even TV broadcast and Sandip Ray's much hyped film "Professor Shanku O El Dorado", based on the popular scientist created by his father, the visionary Satyajit Ray. Another series will be streaming from 26th March titled "Ekattor" which as the name suggests is about the fight for the Independence of Bangladesh. Here is a sneak peak of some new content that the audience can expect to soon start streaming:
hoichoi Co-Founder of Vishnu Mohta commented on the traffic flowing in from different countries, “Apart from West Bengal, hoichoi enjoys strong traffic and consumption from Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad with Bangalore and Delhi being no. 2 and no. 3 in terms of overall volume of traffic. Internationally – the US, and the UK contribute significant traffic with Middle East, Australia and Canada not being far away. The last week also saw a good spurge of traffic coming from Europe and Japan. Bangladesh as a market continuous to growth every day! After the release of Dwitiyo Purush, which is the most anticipated movie of 2020 on hoichoi even before television premiere, the international traffic has significantly grown!”
e-commerce
American Express to acquire AI startup Hyper to boost automation
Deal targets expense management as AI reshapes corporate spending tools.
MUMBAI: From receipts to robots, the expense sheet is getting a brain upgrade as American Express moves to bring artificial intelligence into the heart of corporate spending. The company has announced plans to acquire Hyper, a relatively young but fast-rising startup founded in 2022 that builds AI-powered agents capable of organising expenses, generating reports, verifying compliance with budgets and policies, and nudging users with timely reminders. The deal, expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, underscores a growing shift among financial institutions to automate traditionally manual, time-heavy workflows.
Hyper counts Sam Altman among its backers, adding a layer of Silicon Valley credibility to the acquisition. While financial details remain undisclosed, the strategic intent is clear: deepen automation capabilities and sharpen American Express’s position in the competitive corporate spending ecosystem.
The two companies are not strangers. They previously collaborated in 2024 on a co-branded credit card product, suggesting that the acquisition is less a cold buy and more an extension of an existing relationship. With this move, American Express is effectively bringing that capability in-house, aiming to embed AI directly into its commercial services stack.
Chief executive Stephen Squeri had already signalled the direction of travel in a recent shareholder letter, describing AI as a “structural shift” in how businesses operate. The Hyper acquisition appears to be a direct response to that shift, particularly in expense management, where processes such as approvals, compliance checks and reporting remain ripe for automation.
Alongside the acquisition, the company is also expanding its product suite. A recently launched business credit card offers cashback and benefits at an annual fee of $295, with another card expected later this year moves that complement its broader push into commercial services.
Taken together, the strategy points to a future where managing expenses may require fewer spreadsheets and more algorithms. For American Express, the bet is simple, if businesses are rethinking how work gets done, the tools that power that work need to evolve just as quickly.
